Check-controlled pencil-sharpener.



G. H. LEATHERS.

CHECK CONTROLLED PENCIL SHARPENER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1914.

1, 146,7 1 9. Patented July 13, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (IO-.wAsHlNai'oN. D. c.

witncssrs CHECK-CONTROLLED PE c L-sHAnrEN'En.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE II. LEATHnRs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwick, in the county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check Controlled Pencil-Sharpeners, and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same. I p

This invention relates to check controlled apparatus, and more especially to those wherein the gravity of the falling. coin moves a shutter, with the resultlthat the operator may insert a pencil through the guideway thus openedand have it sharpened. i I

The object of the present invention is, therefore, to produce a check controlled pencil sharpener.

It is well-known that in many public placesthere is a call for a machine by means of which a pencil can be sharpened without the useof a pocket knife if one happens to have one and without soiling the fingers in any event. To meet this need I have devised an extremely simple mechanism actuated by the insertion of a penny and consisting, broadly speaking, of a pivoted gate or shutter which stands normally across a guidewa-y disposed in front ofthe entrance to the, pencil sharpening mechanism but which is swung out of such position by the insertion of the penny. I have illustrated and will briefly describe a manually operated pencil sharpener in connection with the check controlled mechanism, but the style of the sharpener and whether its power he manual or mechanical is immaterial, excepting that in order to make the machine a commercial possibility I would have it as simple and as cheap as possible.

The invention may therefore be said to consist in the details of construction of the check controlled shutter-operating mechanism associated; with any form of pencil sharpener which will successfully coact therewith, all as hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in theqdrawings wherein V Figure 1 is a vertical section through this machine in its simplest form, and Fig'. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the same line as Fig. 1,

Specification of Letters Patent. 1.

Patented July 13, 1915.

' Application filed June 25, 1914. Serial No. 847,282.

showingthe shutter as raised and the guide as providediwith a gravity latch.

In the simplest form of my inventionv the mechanism is entirely contained within a housing H having therein an uprightpartition P which divides the lower portion of its interior into a receptacle T for coins which we mightcall the till and a receptacle R, for shavings such as are cut from the pencil.

The pencil sharpening mechanism is broadly designated by the letter S, and is located at thentop of or completely above the receptacle Ra's shown, and inthe illustration herewith this mechanism is driven by a hand crank.

Coming now to the details of the present invention, the numeral 1 designates a coin chute here shown as cast as part of and opening through the top of the housing H and into the top of the compartment T called the till and preferably alongside the upper end of the partition P so that a coin passed into said chute will fall into the till. On the other side of said partition stands the sharpening mechanism S, herein shown as having a disk-shaped front plate 3' rotatably mounted within an opening in the partition out of line with said chute and itself provided with a central hole 2 serving both as an entrance-to said mechanism and as a guide for the pencil when it is inserted. Through the front wall of the housing is fixed a guide tube at whose bore is preferably of the same size as and is axially alined with the hole 2, and the inner end of said tube is slightly spaced from theface of the disk 3 as shown so that the pencil guide as a whole is interrupted. lVithin such interruption stands a gate or shutter, herein shown as a disk 5 slightly larger than the bore of the guide, and 'its'lower edge rests normally on a pin or stop 6 which projects from theinner end of the tube 4:. From one side of the shutter or disk extends a radial arm 7,

which, as seen in Fig. 2, is pivoted between its ends on a pin 8 projecting inward from the housing, and the remoteend of this arm extends across or part way beneath the coin chute. The front face of the housing will bear suitable directions, and when these are followed the operation of the devicewill be as set forth below. g I Approaching the machine, the operator inserts his pencil through the guide tube until its tip strikes the shutter 5, and holds as an m.

This vremoves the impediment within the guide and uncovers the hole 2, when the operator, following instructions, will push the pencil farther inward, and it enters between the cutters of the sharpening mechanism S;

, and thereafter the latter is actuated by the crank handle or other driving means, while the operator holds the pencil, feeds it for ward slowly, and possibly rotates it gently. Having sharpened the pencil to a point, he withdraws it and the shutter falls back to its normal position. I I,

In Fig. 3 is shown-a slight amplification of or addition to the idea,- which consists in the provision of a gravity'latch 10 pivoted between its ends at 11 to the top of the guide tube 4: at the extreme inner end of the latter, one end of the latch being-made a little heavier than the other end as indicated at 12 so that it will hang normally across 1 the guide way, and the upper and lighter end 13 having a foot or being given such shape that it will hold the shutter raised. I preferably employ this inexpensive detail in addition to thefconst'ruction first above described, because I find that some people pencil can pass into the hole 2. With the latch added (and the increased expense of manufacture will be trifling) the shutter rises past the latch and the foot 13 passes under its lower edge so that said shutter is held raised whether the-pencil is fed quickly forward or not. Then the projection of the.

pencil completely through the guide swings the heavy end 12 of the latch forward and retracts the foot 13, so that the shutter 'drops onto the-pencil and the remainder of the operation is as above described, and when the operator withdraws the pencil the shutter drops closed. It is quite within the spirit of myinvention to use a small electric'motor for driving the sharpening mechanism, and

to switch/on the current by the rise of the shutter. The descent of the arm 7 permits the coin to fall from it into the till T, and

'the'coins inthe latter are removed from time to time through a drawer or door D. The shavings cut from the pencil fall into the receptacle R which also may be provided withmeans for their removal from time to time. On the withdrawal of the pencil the machine is set ready forus'e' by the next operator. I e i,

It will be noted that this device is extremely simple and has no springs. I may even do away with the stop 6 shown in Fig.

gravity and at a time when it stands across theguideway. It is quite possible to support the gate in other waysthan by pivoting it at 8 as shown, the idea being that the weight of the falling penny will throw the. gate; away from a position where it closes or interrupts the guideway, and the further insertion of the pencil will hold the gate away until'the pencil is withdrawn. I have used the .word f pencil throughout this s'pecificationto indicate the article which is to be acted on by the sharpener, but obviously it could be a crayon or anything which is to be sharpened; in fact, the mechanism designated at S might perform other service than sharpening sucharticle to a point, and I therefore wish tobe understood as covering the broadest possibilities of sisting of a disk standing on edge across the inner end of said tube and an arm projecting from the disk across said chute, a piv: otal support projecting from the housing through the arm, and a stop projecting from the lower side of said tube for sustaining the disk when it closes said hole.

2. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a housing having a coin chute, and a guide'eXtending through one wall of the hoi'ising' and interrupted near its inner end; of a shutter standing on edge within said interruption. and normally closing the guide by its gravity, means for raising the shutter by the insertion of a coin 'into the chute, and mechanical means for latching the shutter raised, such means being tripped by an article inserted through the guide and'such article thensupporting the shutter, as described.

3. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a housing having a coin chute in its top and one of its walls provided with a guide passing therethrough and interrupted near itsinnerend; of a shutter consisting of a disk standing on edge and normally within the interruption of said guide and an arm projecting from the disk across said chute, a pivotal support through the arm, and a stop for sustaining the disk when in its normal position.

4. In, a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a housing having a guide tube fixed through one of its walls; of a shutter standing on edge across the inner 1 end of said tube and normally closing the latter by its gravity, means for raising the shutter by the insertion of a coin into the housing, and a gravity latch pivoted be tween its ends in the top of said tube, one end of the latch being heavier and hanging within the tube and the other and lighter end of the latch having a foot adapted to hold the gate raised.

5. In a check controlled apparatus, the combination with a housing having a guide tube fixed through one of its Walls; of a shutter having a radially projecting arm, a

, pivotal support for said arm, a stop nor- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

mally holding the shutter in position to close said tube, means for raising the shutter by the insertion of a coin, and a gravity latch pivoted between its ends, one end of the latch being heavier and hanging within the tube and the other and lighter end of the latch having a foot adapted to hold the shutter raised.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. LEATHERS. Witnesses:

CHESTER A. MOORE, H. A. MOORE.

Washington, D. O. 

